The Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company, a subsidiary of the National Iranian Gas Company, has extended the Iran Gas Trunkline (IGAT) by at least 1,000 kilometers in the last 11 months of the current fiscal year (March 2022-February 2023) – an unprecedented feat in the history of the company, managing director of the state-run firm said.
“NIGC has over 37,000 km of high-pressure gas pipelines, 315 turbo-compressors, 90 boosting pressure stations and major installations in the key gas sector,” Reza Noshadi was also quoted as saying by the Oil Ministry’s news service.
Giving a breakdown on operations completed in 2022, he noted that the pipe-laying projects included Zahedan-Zabol in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, Zarand-Larestan in Kerman Province, Torbat-e Heidariyeh-Mirjaveh in Khorasan Razavi and Sistan-Baluchestan Province, Qom-Parchin in Tehran Province and Iranshahr-Chabahar in Sistan-Baluchestan Province.
Other projects, including Minab-Kouhmobarak in Hormozgan Province and Dashtak-Sarbisheh in Fars and South Khorasan provinces, are also underway, he added, noting that new gas boosting pressure stations in Isfahan and Fars provinces will become operational in the near future.
“By 2025, the length of Iran’s gas pipelines should reach 40,000 km and the annual gas transfer capacity will hit 400 billion cubic meters from the current 300 billion cubic meters,” he said.
“To ensure a stable gas supply, IGEDC is building seven gas storage facilities across the country. Upon their completion in the next three years, NIGC’s gas storage capacity will reach 250 million cubic meters, accounting for 25% of Iran’s daily output.”
Shourijeh Facility
Giving a breakdown on the venture, he noted that the Shourijeh facility in the northeastern Khorasan Razavi Province, Sarajeh reservoir near the city of Qom, Kashan salt dome in Isfahan Province, Varamin Yortesha water storage facility near Tehran, Bankol gas field in Ilam Province, Mokhtari gas field in Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad Province and Qezeltappeh gas field in Golestan Province are being developed by domestic contractors.
Noshadi said the MAPNA engineering group has been tasked with the development of Shourijeh facility.
“The total capacity of Shourijeh facility, which currently stands at 2.25 billion cubic meters per day, is planned to reach 4.5 bcm per day,” he added.
To supply gas in the north and northeast parts in the cold seasons when consumption rises considerably and production declines in the Mozdouran reservoir by 2025, the development project has been planned to increase the capacity of Shourijeh facility, which is the main feedstock supplier of Khangiran Refinery in Sarakhs County, Khorasan Razavi Province.
MAPNA is expected to complete the project within three years. The project includes the drilling of 28 production/injection wells and the construction of wellhead facilities, pipelines, a gas collection and distribution center, gas injection facilities with a capacity of 20 million cubic meters per day and facilities for gas processing with a capacity of 10 mcm per day.
The engineering group is involved in a range of projects, including oil and gas field development, onshore and offshore drilling services, construction of downstream processing units, auxiliary facilities, utility and storage tanks, as well as the design and manufacture of equipment such as turbo-compressors for pipelines, refineries and processing units.
Viability Studies
IGEDC is also conducting feasibility studies to build new reservoirs in other areas, namely Babaqir gas field in Ilam Province, Viznehar and Haloush gas fields in Lorestan Province, Nader hydrocarbon reservoir in Bushehr Province and Sarkhoun gas field in Hormozgan Province.
Most oil reservoirs are not suitable for storing gas and this explains why research on other reserves, whose geological formations are made up of salt and water, is on the IGEDC agenda.
The construction of new gas reservoirs is a priority for the Oil Ministry.
Noshadi noted that gas production has increased from 7 mcm per day to 870 mcm per day in the past four decades.
Referring to gas transmission lines, he said the construction of 1,870 kilometers of large-sized pipes is also on the agenda of IGEDC.
Iran plans to increase its gas output capacity to meet the rising demand of all sectors.
IGAT is a series of nine large diameter pipelines built to supply gas from refineries in the south (Khuzestan and Bushehr provinces) across the country.
Operating since 1970, the IGAT-1 pipeline, with a diameter of 42 inches, was constructed between Bidboland Refinery in Khuzestan Province and the port of Astara in the northern Gilan Provincet.
IGAT-2 connects Fajr Refinery in Bushehr Province and Qazvin Province in the north while IGAT-3 extends from Asalouyeh to Markazi Province and ultimately reaches Gilan Province.
Stretching over 1,145 kilometers, IGAT-4 with a capacity of 110 mcm/d, transfers gas produced in South Pars phases 1 to 5 in Asalouyeh to Fars and Isfahan provinces.
IGAT-5 transfers sour gas produced in South Pars phases 6, 7 and 8 to Khuzestan Province for injection into oil wells to boost extraction.
IGAT-6 transfers gas from South Pars to southern and western regions, namely Hamedan and Kermanshah provinces.
IGAT-7 stretches over 900 km between Asalouyeh and Iranshahr in Sistan-Baluchestan Province.
The 56-inch-diameter IGAT-8 pipeline, stretches over 1,000 km and transfers 110 mcm of gas from South Pars to the central parts of the country on a daily basis.
